Virtual keyfob for vehicle sharing

ABSTRACT

A system and method of managing virtual vehicle keys includes: receiving at a central facility a request to use a vehicle; receiving an identifier of a handheld wireless device at the central facility; generating at the central facility a virtual vehicle key that permits vehicle access using the handheld wireless device; and wirelessly transmitting the virtual vehicle key to the handheld wireless device and a vehicle the handheld wireless device has authorization to access.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to controlling vehicle access and, moreparticularly to controlling access to vehicles among a plurality ofusers.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle access has traditionally been controlled by one or more physicalvehicle keys. When a vehicle owner or user possesses the physical keys,the user could insert a key into a lock and unlock the vehicle doors orinto an ignition and start the vehicle engine. As vehicle technologyevolved, the vehicle keys remained physical but were implemented aspassive devices that wirelessly communicated with the vehicle to provideaccess. The passive device include a wireless transmitter that thevehicle owner/user carries to gain access to the vehicle and itsfunctionality. These mechanisms of regulating vehicle access involvephysical possession of a dedicated key or device to operate the vehicle.While physical keys are reliable and effective, it may be inconvenientto deliver physical keys or devices to a person sharing a vehicle amongmore than one person.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a methodof managing virtual vehicle keys. The method includes receiving at acentral facility a request to use a vehicle; receiving an identifier ofa handheld wireless device at the central facility; generating at thecentral facility a virtual vehicle key that permits vehicle access usingthe handheld wireless device; and wirelessly transmitting the virtualvehicle key to the handheld wireless device and a vehicle the handheldwireless device has authorization to access.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided amethod of managing virtual vehicle keys. The method includes receivingat a vehicle a virtual vehicle key that grants access to one or morevehicle functions from a central facility; detecting a handheld wirelessdevice at the vehicle via a short-range wireless communications signal;receiving the virtual vehicle key from the handheld wireless device;determining whether the virtual vehicle key received from the centralfacility matches the virtual vehicle key received from the handhelddevice; and granting or denying access to the vehicle based on thedetermination.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provideda method of managing virtual vehicle keys. The method includes receivingat a central facility a request to operate a vehicle included in avehicle fleet along with a time window of operation; identifying avehicle in the vehicle fleet available during the time window ofoperation; generating at the central facility a virtual vehicle key thatpermits access to the identified vehicle during the time window ofoperation using a handheld wireless device associated with the request;and wirelessly transmitting the virtual vehicle key to the handheldwireless device and the identified vehicle.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provideda method of managing virtual vehicle keys. The method includesgenerating a virtual vehicle key at a central facility that permitsvehicle access using a handheld wireless device; wirelessly transmittingthe virtual vehicle key from the central facility to a vehicle;associating the virtual vehicle key with the vehicle at the centralfacility; afterwards, receiving at the central facility a request to usea vehicle; receiving an identifier of a handheld wireless device at thecentral facility; generating at the central facility a copy of thevirtual vehicle key; and wirelessly transmitting the copy of the virtualvehicle key to the handheld wireless device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be describedin conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designationsdenote like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of a communicationssystem that is capable of utilizing the method disclosed herein; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method of managingvirtual vehicle keys; and

FIG. 3 is a call flow depicting an embodiment of a method of managingvirtual vehicle keys.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The system and method described below manages virtual vehicle keys thatprovide vehicle access to handheld wireless devices without previouslylinking the devices with the vehicle. A central facility can receive arequest for vehicle access from a user. After determining that the useris authorized to access the vehicle, the central facility can wirelesslytransmit a virtual vehicle key to the vehicle as well as a handhelddevice carried by the user who will access the vehicle. Transmission ofthe virtual vehicle keys can be carried out in a secure manner, such asthrough encryption or virtual private network. The virtual vehicle keymay have customized levels of access and duration for providing access.

Virtual vehicle keys can provide vehicle access to one or a fleet ofvehicles among a group of potential vehicle users without providingthose users physical keys. Traditionally, users of vehicles belonging toa vehicle fleet reserved vehicles, visited a central office wherephysical keys (i.e., a key a user held) were stored, retrieved aphysical key for the particular vehicle to be used, and returned thephysical key when finished. But key storage organized in this waylimited the location of vehicle exchanges to a central office holdingthe physical keys. Also, potential vehicle owners accessed vehicles onlywhen the central office was staffed with personnel to provide physicalkeys.

In contrast, virtual vehicle keys can be provided to vehicle users andvehicles without regard to their location or the time of day. Apotential vehicle user can request a vehicle from the central facilityand specify a time period during which the vehicle will be used. Thecentral facility can identify a vehicle that is available during thetime period the vehicle user requested and determine the location ofthat vehicle. A virtual vehicle key that provides access to theidentified vehicle during the time period can be created and wirelesslytransmitted in a secure manner to the vehicle as well as a handhelddevice belonging to the vehicle user. The central facility can providedirections to the vehicle along with the virtual vehicle key using thevehicle location. As the vehicle user approaches the vehicle with thehandheld wireless device, the vehicle can authenticate the virtualvehicle key stored in the handheld wireless device. The vehicle and thehandheld wireless device can exchange information securely withoutpreviously being paired. The virtual vehicle key can be securelydeployed to both the vehicle and the handheld device so that they bothhave a secret key. In this way, the vehicle and the handheld wirelessdevice need not be previously paired in order to securely communicatewith each other. If the virtual vehicle key in the handheld devicematches the virtual vehicle key stored at the vehicle, the vehicle canallow the vehicle user to access and operate the vehicle. When the timeperiod granted for vehicle use expires, the virtual vehicle keys can beerased from the handheld wireless device and the vehicle.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an operating environment thatcomprises a mobile vehicle communications system 10 and that can be usedto implement the method disclosed herein. Communications system 10generally includes a vehicle 12, one or more wireless carrier systems14, a land communications network 16, a computer 18, and a call center20. It should be understood that the disclosed method can be used withany number of different systems and is not specifically limited to theoperating environment shown here. Also, the architecture, construction,setup, and operation of the system 10 and its individual components aregenerally known in the art. Thus, the following paragraphs simplyprovide a brief overview of one such communications system 10; however,other systems not shown here could employ the disclosed method as well.

Vehicle 112 is depicted in the illustrated embodiment as a passengercar, but it should be appreciated that any other vehicle includingmotorcycles, trucks, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), recreationalvehicles (RVs), marine vessels, aircraft, bicycles, e-bikes, etc., canalso be used. Some of the vehicle electronics 28 is shown generally inFIG. 1 and includes a telematics unit 30, a microphone 32, one or morepushbuttons or other control inputs 34, an audio system 36, a visualdisplay 38, and a GPS module 40 as well as a number of vehicle systemmodules (VSMs) 42. Some of these devices can be connected directly tothe telematics unit such as, for example, the microphone 32 andpushbutton(s) 34, whereas others are indirectly connected using one ormore network connections, such as a communications bus 44 or anentertainment bus 46. Examples of suitable network connections include acontroller area network (CAN), a media oriented system transfer (MOST),a local interconnection network (LIN), a local area network (LAN), andother appropriate connections such as Ethernet or others that conformwith known ISO, SAE and IEEE standards and specifications, to name but afew.

Telematics unit 30 can be an OEM-installed (embedded) or aftermarketdevice that is installed in the vehicle and that enables wireless voiceand/or data communication over wireless carrier system 14 and viawireless networking. This enables the vehicle to communicate with callcenter 20, other telematics-enabled vehicles, or some other entity ordevice. The telematics unit preferably uses radio transmissions toestablish a communications channel (a voice channel and/or a datachannel) with wireless carrier system 14 so that voice and/or datatransmissions can be sent and received over the channel. By providingboth voice and data communication, telematics unit 30 enables thevehicle to offer a number of different services including those relatedto navigation, telephony, emergency assistance, diagnostics,infotainment, etc. Data can be sent either via a data connection, suchas via packet data transmission over a data channel, or via a voicechannel using techniques known in the art. For combined services thatinvolve both voice communication (e.g., with a live advisor or voiceresponse unit at the call center 20) and data communication (e.g., toprovide GPS location data or vehicle diagnostic data to the call center20), the system can utilize a single call over a voice channel andswitch as needed between voice and data transmission over the voicechannel, and this can be done using techniques known to those skilled inthe art.

According to one embodiment, telematics unit 30 utilizes cellularcommunication according to either GSM or CDMA standards and thusincludes a standard cellular chipset 50 for voice communications likehands-free calling, a wireless modem for data transmission, anelectronic processing device 52, one or more digital memory devices 54,and a dual antenna 56. It should be appreciated that the modern caneither be implemented through software that is stored in the telematicsunit and is executed by processor 52, or it can be a separate hardwarecomponent located internal or external to telematics unit 30. The modemcan operate using any number of different standards or protocols such asEVDO, CDMA, GPRS, and 4G LTE. Wireless networking between the vehicleand other networked devices can also be carried out using telematicsunit 30. For this purpose, telematics unit 30 can be configured tocommunicate wirelessly according to one or more wireless protocols, suchas any of the IEEE 802.11 protocols, WiMAX, or Bluetooth. When used forpacket-switched data communication such as TCP/IP, the telematics unitcan be configured with a static IP address or can set up toautomatically receive an assigned IP address from another device on thenetwork such as a router or from a network address server.

One of the networked devices that can communicate with the telematicsunit 30 is a handheld wireless device, such as a smart phone 57. Thesmart phone 57 can include computer processing capability, a transceivercapable of communicating using a short-range wireless protocol, and avisual smart phone display 59. In some implementations, the smart phonedisplay 59 also includes a touch-screen graphical user interface and/ora GPS module capable of receiving GPS satellite signals and generatingGPS coordinates based on those signals. Examples of the smart phone 57include the iPhone™ manufactured by Apple, Inc. and the Droid™manufactured by Motorola, Inc. as well as others. These and othersimilar devices may be used or considered as a type of handheld wirelessdevice for the purposes of the method described herein. While the smartphone 57 is described with the methods below, it should be appreciatedthat other similar and/or simpler handheld wireless device can besuccessfully substituted for the smart phone 57 to carry out themethod/system described herein. For instance, devices such as the iPad™or iPod Touch™ can also use the short-range wireless protocols tocommunicate despite not having the capability to communicate viacellular protocols.

Processor 52 can be any type of device capable of processing electronicinstructions including microprocessors, microcontrollers, hostprocessors, controllers, vehicle communication processors, andapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It can be a dedicatedprocessor used only for telematics unit 30 or can be shared with othervehicle systems. Processor 52 executes various types of digitally-storedinstructions, such as software or firmware programs stored in memory 54,which enable the telematics unit to provide a wide variety of services.For instance, processor 52 can execute programs or process data to carryout at least a part of the method discussed herein.

Telematics unit 30 can be used to provide a diverse range of vehicleservices that involve wireless communication to and/or from the vehicle.Such services include: turn-by-turn directions and othernavigation-related services that are provided in conjunction with theGPS-based vehicle navigation module 40; airbag deployment notificationand other emergency or roadside assistance-related services that areprovided in connection with one or more collision sensor interfacemodules such as a body control module (not shown); diagnostic reportingusing one or more diagnostic modules; and infotainment-related serviceswhere music, webpages, movies, television programs, videogames and/orother information is downloaded by an infotainment module (not shown)and is stored for current or later playback. The above-listed servicesare by no means an exhaustive list of all of the capabilities oftelematics unit 30, but are simply an enumeration of some of theservices that the telematics unit is capable of offering. Furthermore,it should be understood that at least some of the aforementioned modulescould be implemented in the form of software instructions saved internalor external to telematics unit 30, they could be hardware componentslocated internal or external to telematics unit 30, or they could beintegrated and/or shared with each other or with other systems locatedthroughout the vehicle, to cite but a few possibilities. In the eventthat the modules are implemented as VSMs 42 located external totelematics unit 30, they could utilize vehicle bus 44 to exchange dataand commands with the telematics unit.

GPS module 40 receives radio signals from a constellation 60 of GPSsatellites. From these signals, the module 40 can determine vehicleposition that is used for providing navigation and otherposition-related services to the vehicle driver. Navigation informationcan be presented on the display 38 (or other display within the vehicle)or can be presented verbally such as is done when supplying turn-by-turnnavigation. The navigation services can be provided using a dedicatedin-vehicle navigation module (which can be part of OPS module 40), orsome or all navigation services can be done via telematics unit 30,wherein the position information is sent to a remote location forpurposes of providing the vehicle with navigation maps, map annotations(points of interest, restaurants, etc.), route calculations, and thelike. The position information can be supplied to call center 20 orother remote computer system, such as computer 18, for other purposes,such as fleet management. Also, new or updated map data can bedownloaded to the GPS module 40 from the call center 20 via thetelematics unit 30.

Apart from the audio system 36 and GPS module 40, the vehicle 12 caninclude other vehicle system modules (VSMs) 42 in the form of electronichardware components that are located throughout the vehicle andtypically receive input from one or more sensors and use the sensedinput to perform diagnostic, monitoring, control, reporting and/or otherfunctions. Each of the VSMs 42 is preferably connected by communicationsbus 44 to the other VSMs, as well as to the telematics unit 30, and canbe programmed to run vehicle system and subsystem diagnostic tests. Asexamples, one VSM 42 can be an engine control module (ECM) that controlsvarious aspects of engine operation such as fuel ignition and ignitiontiming and another VSM 42 can be a powertrain control module thatregulates operation of one or more components of the vehicle powertrain.Vet another VSM 42 can be a body control module (BCM) that governsvarious electrical components located throughout the vehicle, like thevehicle's power door locks, engine ignition, and headlights. Accordingto one embodiment, the engine control module is equipped with on-boarddiagnostic (OBD) features that provide myriad real-time data, such asthat received from various sensors including vehicle emissions sensors,and provide a standardized series of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs)that allow a technician to rapidly identify and remedy malfunctionswithin the vehicle.

A passive entry passive start (PEPS) module 43 is another type of VSMthat can be connected to the vehicle bus 44 and provide passivedetection of the absence or presence of a passive physical key or avirtual vehicle key. The PEPS module 43 can use its own antenna orreceive signals via antenna 56. When the passive physical key or smartphone 57 with virtual vehicle key approaches, the PEPS module 43 candetermine if the passive physical key belongs to the vehicle 12 and/or(in some embodiments) determine if the virtual vehicle key isauthorized/authentic. If the virtual vehicle key is authentic, the PEPSmodule 43 can send a command to the BCM permitting access to the vehicle12. In other implementations, it is possible for the BCM to carry outthe functionality attributed to the PEPS module 43. As is appreciated bythose skilled in the art, the above-mentioned VSMs are only examples ofsome of the modules that may be used in vehicle 12, as numerous othersare also possible.

Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfacesthat provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/orreceiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audiosystem 36, and visual display 38. As used herein, the term ‘vehicle userinterface’ broadly includes any suitable form of electronic device,including both hardware and software components, which is located on thevehicle and enables a vehicle user to communicate with or through acomponent of the vehicle. Microphone 32 provides audio input to thetelematics unit to enable the driver or other occupant to provide voicecommands and carry out hands-free calling via the wireless carriersystem 14. For this purpose, it can be connected to an on-boardautomated voice processing unit utilizing human-machine interface (HMI)technology known in the art. The pushbutton(s) 34 allow manual userinput into the telematics unit 30 to initiate wireless telephone callsand provide other data, response, or control input. Separate pushbuttonscan be used for initiating emergency calls versus regular serviceassistance calls to the call center 20. Audio system 36 provides audiooutput to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone systemor part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particularembodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to bothvehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM andsatellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. Thisfunctionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of theinfotainment module described above. Visual display 38 is preferably agraphics display, such as a touch screen on the instrument panel or aheads-up display reflected off of the windshield, and can be used toprovide a multitude of input and output functions. Various other vehicleuser interfaces can also be utilized, as the interfaces of FIG. 1 areonly an example of one particular implementation.

Wireless carrier system 14 is preferably a cellular telephone systemthat includes a plurality of cell towers 70 (only one shown), one ormore mobile switching centers (MSCs) 72, as well as any other networkingcomponents required to connect wireless carrier system 14 with landnetwork 16. Each cell tower 70 includes sending and receiving antennasand a base station, with the base stations from different cell towersbeing connected to the MSC 72 either directly or via intermediaryequipment such as a base station controller. Cellular system 14 canimplement any suitable communications technology, including for example,analog technologies such as AMPS, or digital technologies such as CDMA(e.g., CDMA2000) and GSM/GPRS as well as 4G LTE. As will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art, various cell tower/base station/MSCarrangements are possible and could be used with wireless system 14. Forinstance, the base station and cell tower could be co-located at thesame site or they could be remotely located from one another, each basestation could be responsible for a single cell tower or a single basestation could service various cell towers, and various base stationscould be coupled to a single MSC, to name but a few of the possiblearrangements.

Apart from using wireless carrier system 14, a different wirelesscarrier system in the form of satellite communication can be used toprovide uni-directional or bi-directional communication with thevehicle. This can be done using one or more communication satellites 62and an uplink transmitting station 64. Uni-directional communication canbe, for example, satellite radio services, wherein programming content(news, music, etc.) is received by transmitting station 64, packaged forupload, and then sent to the satellite 62, which broadcasts theprogramming to subscribers. Bi-directional communication can be, forexample, satellite telephony services using satellite 62 to relaytelephone communications between the vehicle 12 and station 64. If used,this satellite telephony can be utilized either in addition to or inlieu of wireless carrier system 14.

Land network 16 may be a conventional land-based telecommunicationsnetwork that is connected to one or more landline telephones andconnects wireless carrier system 14 to call center 20. For example, landnetwork 16 may include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) suchas that used to provide hardwired telephony, packet-switched datacommunications, and the Internet infrastructure. One or more segments ofland network. 16 could be implemented through the use of a standardwired network, a fiber or other optical network, a cable network, powerlines, other wireless networks such as wireless local area networks(WLANs), or networks providing broadband wireless access (BWA), or anycombination thereof. Furthermore, call center 20 need not be connectedvia land network 16, but could include wireless telephony equipment sothat it can communicate directly with a wireless network, such aswireless carrier system 14.

Computer 18 can be one of a number of computers accessible via a privateor public network such as the Internet. Each such computer 18 can beused for one or more purposes, such as a web server accessible by thevehicle via telematics unit 30 and wireless carrier 14. Other suchaccessible computers 18 can be, for example: a service center computerwhere diagnostic information and other vehicle data can be uploaded fromthe vehicle via the telematics unit 30; a client computer used by thevehicle owner or other subscriber for such purposes as accessing orreceiving vehicle data or to setting up or configuring subscriberpreferences or controlling vehicle functions; or a third partyrepository to or from which vehicle data or other information isprovided, whether by communicating with the vehicle 12 or call center20, or both. A computer 18 can also be used for providing Internetconnectivity such as DNS services or as a network address server thatuses DHCP or other suitable protocol to assign an IP address to thevehicle 12.

Call center 20 is designed to provide the vehicle electronics 28 with anumber of different system back-end functions and, according to theexemplary embodiment shown here, generally includes one or more switches80, servers 82, databases 84, live advisors 86, as well as an automatedvoice response system (VRS) 88, all of which are known in the art. Thesevarious call center components are preferably coupled to one another viaa wired or wireless local area network 90. Switch 80, which can be aprivate branch exchange (PBX) switch, routes incoming signals so thatvoice transmissions are usually sent to either the live adviser 86 byregular phone or to the automated voice response system 88 using VoIP.The live advisor phone can also use VoIP as indicated by the broken linein FIG. 1. VoIP and other data communication through the switch 80 isimplemented via a modem (not shown) connected between the switch 80 andnetwork 90. Data transmissions are passed via the modem to server 82and/or database 84. Database 84 can store account information such assubscriber authentication information, vehicle identifiers, profilerecords, behavioral patterns, and other pertinent subscriberinformation. Data transmissions may also be conducted by wirelesssystems, such as 802.11x, GPRS, and the like. Although the illustratedembodiment has been described as it would be used in conjunction with amanned call center 20 using live advisor 86, it will be appreciated thatthe call center can instead utilize VRS 88 as an automated advisor or, acombination of VRS 88 and the live advisor 86 can be used.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown an embodiment of a method 200 ofmanaging virtual vehicle keys. The method 200 begins at step 210 bysending to a central facility a request to use the vehicle 12. A vehicleuser can place the request to use the vehicle 12 using a personalcomputer (PC) or a handheld wireless device, such as a smart phone 57.The request can identify the vehicle user, such as by a handheldwireless device identifier, and include a time window of operation. Forexample, the vehicle user can identify the day that the user plans touse a vehicle as well as the starting time of the use and ending time ofthe use. The handheld wireless device identifier and the time window ofoperation can be sent to the central facility. The handheld wirelessdevice identifier can be implemented using a user ID, a mobile dialednumber, an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI), aBluetooth Device Address (BDADDR), or other similar unique value. It ispossible to prompt the vehicle user to enter the handheld wirelessdevice identifier as part of requesting the vehicle 12, but in otherimplementations the identifier can be automatically obtained by thesmart phone 57 from its internal memory. In the implementation describedwith respect to method 200, the handheld wireless device and centralfacility will be described in terms of the smart phone 57 and computer18, respectively, but it should be appreciated that the method 200described herein can be implemented using other system hardware.

In one example of a vehicle user requesting to use a vehicle 12, theuser can input the MDN of the smart phone 57 (e.g., 313-555-1212) and adesired time window of operation (e.g., November 22 from 3 PM to 4 PM)into a graphical user interface (GUI) shown on the smart phone display59. The GUI can be a visual template presented by a web browser or anapplication-specific software application resident on the smart phone57. The application-specific software applications are often simplyreferred to as “apps” and can be obtained by the smart phone 57 from athird-party software repository (e.g., an “app store”). Once generatedand presented, the vehicle user can populate the GUI with the MDN andtime window of operation. In some implementations, the location of thevehicle user can be included as part of the request. The vehicle usercould enter their present location or location they plan to be at thetime the time window of operation begins into the GUI. But it is alsopossible that the smart phone 57 can detect the vehicle user's currentlocation. The method 200 proceeds to step 220.

At step 220, the request to use the vehicle 12 is received at thecentral facility. There the computer 18, can determine whether or notthe vehicle user is authorized to use the vehicle. This can beimplemented in a variety of ways, such as by determining if he vehicleuser has a valid driver's license, has a valid credit card, and/or haspermission from a vehicle owner to use the vehicle 12. In animplementation in which the vehicle 12 belongs to a fleet of vehicles,the computer 18 can determine a subset of the fleet that are availableduring the requested time window of operation. For example, the computer18 can manage the use of a fleet of 350 vehicles and determine that 245of those vehicles will be available during the requested time window ofoperation. The computer 18 can select one of those vehicles using avehicle identifier and assign it to the vehicle user for use during therequested time window of operation. As vehicles are requested and used,the computer 18 can determine the identities of the vehicles currentlyin use (and therefore unavailable) and monitor upcoming time windows ofoperation that are associated with vehicles in the fleet to understandwhich vehicles are available at any particular time. The method 200proceeds to step 230.

At step 230 a virtual vehicle key that permits vehicle access using thesmart phone 57 is generated at the computer 18 and wirelesslytransmitted to the smart phone 57 and the vehicle 12 the smart phone 57has authorization to access. The virtual vehicle key can be anencryption key that grants access to the vehicle 12 during the timewindow of operation and replaces physical keys. Virtual vehicle keys aredigital keys that include some amount of data and/or an algorithm thatcan be read by a computer. In one implementation, advanced encryptionstandard (AES) is used to create the virtual vehicle key in the form ofa 128 bit AES key. The AES key, a nonce, and a token can be wirelesslytransmitted from the computer 18 to the vehicle 12 that receives theseelements using the vehicle telematics unit 30. A copy of the AES key,the nonce, and the token can also be sent to the smart phone 57. Whilethe virtual key in this embodiment has been encrypted using AES, otherencryption mechanisms could be used instead of AES. For example, DataEncryption Standard (DES), RSA, Diffie-Helmann (DH), ElGamal, and blockciphers are other examples of encryption techniques or mechanisms thatcan be used.

The virtual vehicle key and its copy can be securely transmitted betweenthe computer 18, the vehicle 12, and the smart phone 57 using a numberof encryption techniques, such as a virtual private network (VPN) orsecure socket layer (SSL) encryption. Other encryption mechanisms arepossible as well. The GPS location of the vehicle 12 can be sent to thesmart phone 57 along with copies of the AES key, nonce, and token. Thesmart phone 57 can use the GPS location of the vehicle 12 to generatenavigational directions from the vehicle user who carries the smartphone 57 to the vehicle 12 that will be used. The validity of thevehicle virtual key can permit access to the identified vehicle duringthe time window of operation using a handheld wireless device or smartphone 57 associated with the request The method 200 proceeds to step240.

At step 240, the vehicle user can access the vehicle 12 during the timewindow of operation once the virtual vehicle key is received by both thevehicle 12 and the smart phone 57. The vehicle 12 can authorize thesmart phone 57 via a short-range wireless communications protocol, suchas the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. A BLE transceiver used atthe vehicle 12 can detect a short-range wireless communication signaltransmitted from the smart phone 57 using the BLE protocol. When boththe vehicle 12 and the smart phone 57 have virtual vehicle keys, thevehicle 12 can authenticate the smart phone 57 and allow the vehicleuser carrying the smart phone 57 to access the vehicle 12.

The BLE transceiver can detect the presence of the smart phone within aparticular range of the vehicle, such as 100 meters. Once the smartphone 57 enters the vehicle range, the vehicle 12 can use the BLEprotocol to initiate a communication session with the smart phone 57.The initial BLE communication can originate from the smart phone 57 orthe vehicle 12 as a directed advertisement. For example, the vehicle 12can be provided the handheld wireless device identifier ahead of timesuch that the vehicle 12 can establish a directed advertisement receivedonly by the smart phone 57 identified by the handheld wireless deviceidentifier. The authentication process can then begin by encrypting thevirtual vehicle key (e.g., the AES key, the nonce, and the token) at thesmart phone 57 and communicating it to the vehicle 12 over theshort-range wireless link using BLE. In this implementation, the virtualvehicle key can be encrypted using Counter Mode Cipher Block ChainingMessage Authentication Code Protocol, Counter Mode (CBC-MAC or CCM) thatmay implement a counter for the nonce or token sent with the AES key.The AES keys, the nonce, and the token can be of various size, but inone implementation they are 16 bytes, 12 bytes, and 4 bytes,respectively.

A vehicle command can also be included with this transmission as well.Vehicle commands include commands to unlock/lock doors,activate/deactivate vehicle lights, activate/deactivate an audiblevehicle alarm, or to start the engine of the vehicle. After receivingthe virtual vehicle key and the vehicle command, the vehicle 12 can thendecrypt and authenticate what it receives using its own virtual vehiclekey. If the virtual vehicle key is determined by the vehicle 12 to beauthentic, then the vehicle 12 can carry out the vehicle command;otherwise, the vehicle 12 can ignore the smart phone 57 and/or deletethe virtual vehicle key it received. When authenticated, the presence ofthe smart phone 57 in the vehicle 12 can act as a passive vehicle keypermitting vehicle operation and access. In addition, the vehicle 12 canrespond to the smart phone 57 confirming that it has been authenticated.The response can include an updated nonce and a new token that areencrypted at the smart phone 57 and transmitted to the smart phone 57using the BLE protocol. The nonce and the token can be updated aftereach communication between the vehicle 12 and the smart phone 57. In oneimplementation, the nonce can be advanced based on a counter in thevehicle 12 or the smart phone 57.

The method 200 may also provide vehicle access to the vehicle userdespite an inability for the vehicle 12, the smart phone 57, or both toreceive the virtual vehicle key as well as when the vehicle 12 and thesmart phone 57 are unable to communicate with each other via theshort-range wireless communication link. When the computer 18 is unableto deploy the virtual vehicle key to the vehicle 12, the vehicle 12 canbe instructed to use one of a number of virtual vehicle keys pre-storedat the vehicle 12. The vehicle 12 can maintain a number of pre-storedvirtual vehicle keys that can be used when the computer 18 is unable totransmit a virtual vehicle key that is associated with the time windowof operation. After determining that it was unable to send the virtualvehicle key to the vehicle 12, the computer 18 can access alocally-stored file containing the pre-stored virtual vehicle keysassociated with the vehicle 12. These pre-stored keys can be maintainedboth at the vehicle 12 and at the computer 18, one of the pre-storedvirtual vehicle keys is selected at the computer 18 and wirelessly sentto the smart phone 57. As the smart phone 57 approaches the vehicle 12,the vehicle 12 can recognize the pre-stored key the vehicle 12 alreadyhas and grant access to the smart phone 57 as is described above. Thepre-stored virtual vehicle keys can be replaced in both the vehicle 12and the computer 18 on a regular basis, such as every week or month. Byreplacing or recycling the pre-stored virtual vehicle keys maintained atthe vehicle 12, an increased level of security can be realized.

At least one of the pre-stored virtual vehicle keys stored in thevehicle 12 can also be configured to permit vehicle access by a fleetmanager or other individual who manages a plurality of vehicles 12. Oneof the pre-stored virtual vehicle keys can be designated a master keythat allows one individual access to more than one vehicle 12. Themaster key can be configured to allow individualized levels of vehicleaccess. For example, the master key can be configured to permit a fleetmanager to unlock and lock vehicle doors but not to start the vehicle12. In addition, the master key can be configured to monitor how a fleetmanager accesses the vehicles 12. In one example, access of the vehicle12 using the master key can include an instruction wirelesslytransmitted from the smart phone 57 to the vehicle 12 via short-rangewireless communication techniques as discussed above that causes thevehicle 12 to wirelessly transmit a message to the computer 18. Themessage from the vehicle 12 to the computer 18 can identify the fleetmanager or the master key used, the time the vehicle was accessed,and/or the type of access the fleet manager was granted (e.g.,unlocking/locking, moving the vehicle 12, etc.). The vehicle 12 canwirelessly transmit the message in response to a vehicle ignition cycleor other periodic vehicle function. It is also possible to wirelesslytransmit the message on a periodic time basis (e.g., once a day).

Other possible difficulties could occur with respect to short-rangewireless communications between the vehicle 12 and the smart phone 57.For example, if the BLE transceiver of the vehicle 12 were unable tocommunicate with the smart phone 57 located nearby, the vehicle usercould contact the computer 18 using the smart phone 57. If the computer18 can authenticate the smart phone 57, the computer 18 can receivevehicle commands from the smart phone 57 and relay those commands to thevehicle 12 via the wireless carrier system 14.

Beyond inabilities to communicate, the method 200 may have to compensatefor vehicle users who extend their usage beyond the time period ofoperation. For example, the time period of operation may start at 8:00AM and end at 10:00 AM yet the vehicle user is still operating thevehicle 12 at 10:10 AM. If this occurs, the computer 18 can extend thetime window of operation beyond the 10:00 AM end time in discreteamounts (e.g., 15 minute extensions). The discrete amounts can have anultimate cap (e.g., one hour) at which time the computer 18 canwirelessly send a command to the vehicle 12 that ends access by thevehicle user. This ultimate ending of access by the vehicle user couldbe implemented after the user stops the engine of the vehicle 12.

After the time period of operation has expired and the vehicle user hasstopped using the vehicle 12, the virtual vehicle keys can be erasedfrom both the vehicle 12 and the smart phone 57. The computer 18 canwirelessly transmit a command to the vehicle 12 and the smart phone 57instructing them to erase the virtual vehicle keys. Or it is alsopossible to include an instruction with the virtual vehicle key thatdeletes the virtual vehicle key after the vehicle user has stopped usingthe vehicle 12, such as by turning off the engine, and the time windowof operation has passed. The vehicle 12 can wirelessly transmit its GPSlocation to the computer 18 that can then identify the vehicle 12 asbeing available for another vehicle user. The method 200 ends.

Turning to FIG. 3, an exemplary call flow 300 is shown involving themanagement of virtual vehicle keys along with a time window ofoperation. The call flow begins at step 302 when a vehicle user sends arequest to use a vehicle 12 to the computer 18 via the smart phone 57before the time window of operation begins. The request can include thehandheld wireless device identifier as well as the time window ofoperation—in this example, 9:00-10:00 AM. The computer 18 can respond atstep 304 by generating a virtual vehicle key including an AES key, anonce, and a token and sending the virtual vehicle key to the vehicletelematics unit 30 of the vehicle 12 to be used along with the handheldwireless device identifier. The vehicle telematics unit 30 can then sendthe virtual vehicle key to the PEPS module 43, which confirms receipt ofthe key to the unit 30 during step 306. The computer 18 can alsowirelessly send the virtual vehicle key to the smart phone 57 with a GPSlocation of the vehicle 12 at step 308 before the time window ofoperation begins.

The vehicle 12 can be provided the handheld wireless device identifierahead of time such that the vehicle 12 can generate a directedadvertisement using the PEPS module 43 received only by the smart phone57 identified by the handheld wireless device identifier. The smartphone 57 can wirelessly transmit the handheld wireless device identifierto the vehicle 12 during step 310. In this implementation, the PEPSmodule 43 can authenticate the smart phone 57 (step 312) using thehandheld wireless device identifier it was provided. As the vehicle userapproaches the vehicle 12 at the beginning of or during the time windowof operation, the smart phone 57 carried by the vehicle user canestablish a communication session with the PEPS module 43 using BLE atstep 314. The vehicle user can be near the vehicle 12 with the smartphone 57 and attempt to open a vehicle door (step 316). The PEPS module43 can then receive the virtual vehicle key from the smart phone 57 andauthenticate the vehicle user (step 318). In this implementation, thevirtual vehicle key can be sent using BLE and AES CCM. Onceauthentication of the virtual vehicle key is complete, the PEPS module43 can instruct the BCM module/VSM 42 to unlock the doors (step 320).The PEPS module 43 can advance a counter used to generate the nonce ofthe virtual vehicle key and transmit a new virtual vehicle key having anew nonce and a new token (step 322).

Once the vehicle user has entered the vehicle 12, the vehicle user canstart the vehicle engine to begin operating the vehicle 12. To enablethe vehicle user to do so, the smart phone 57 can transmit its virtualvehicle key to the PEPS module 43 for authentication during step 324.The BCM module 42 can query the PEPS module 43 to determine if the smartphone 57 is located in the vehicle 12 based on the short-range wirelessconnection using BLE during step 326. If the PEPS module 43 determinesthat the smart phone 57 is present, the PEPS module 43 can confirm thisto the BCM 42 (step 328). The module 43 can transmit a virtual vehiclekey (having a new nonce and token) to the smart phone 57 along with aconfirmation that access to the vehicle 12 is allowed (step 330). Thevehicle user can press a start/stop button to start the vehicle engine(step 332) that is received by the BCM 42, which activates the vehicleengine (step 334). The vehicle engine is enabled until the vehicle userpushes the vehicle start/stop button (step 336) and the BCM 42 disablesthe vehicle engine (step 338).

When the vehicle user exits the vehicle 12, the BCM 42 can detect thatthe door handle is used at step 340 and communicate this to the PEPSmodule 43. The PEPS module 43 can receive the virtual vehicle key atstep 342 authenticating the smart phone 57 to the PEPS module 43followed by a command from the vehicle user via the smart phone 57 tolock the door (step 344). The PEPS module 43 can advance a counter usedto generate the nonce of the virtual vehicle key and transmit a newvirtual vehicle key having a new nonce, a new token (step 346). Onceauthentication of the virtual vehicle key is complete, the PEPS module43 can instruct the BCM module/VSM 42 to lock the doors (step 348).After 10:00 AM passes, access to the vehicle 12 by the vehicle user ends(step 350) and the smart phone 57 confirms this to the computer 18. ThePEPS module 43 can ensure that the vehicle user has left the vehicle andthat the vehicle is not moving (step 352). The vehicle telematics unit30 can erase the virtual vehicle key from the PEPS module 43 as well asany other memory location in the vehicle in response to an instructionfrom the computer 18 at step 354 and the computer 18 can wirelessly senda command to the smart phone 57 directing it to erase its copy of thevirtual vehicle key at step 356. The call flow 300 then ends.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one ormore embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to theparticular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solelyby the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in theforegoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the invention or on thedefinition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase isexpressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changesand modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent tothose skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, andmodifications are intended to come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “forinstance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,”“including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with alisting of one or more components or other items, are each to beconstrued as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to beconsidered as excluding other, additional components or items. Otherterms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unlessthey are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of managing virtual vehicle keys,comprising the steps of: (a) receiving at a central facility from ahandheld wireless device a request to use a vehicle; (b) receiving atthe central facility from the handheld wireless device an identifier ofthe handheld wireless device, wherein the identifier is unique to thehandheld wireless device or unique to a user of the handheld wirelessdevice, and wherein the identifier of the handheld wireless device isstored on the handheld wireless device prior to step (a); (c) generatingat the central facility a virtual vehicle key that permits access to thevehicle using the handheld wireless device; (d) wirelessly transmittingthe virtual vehicle key to both the handheld wireless device and thevehicle that the handheld wireless device has authorization to access;and (e) transmitting the identifier of the handheld wireless device fromthe central facility to the vehicle, wherein the virtual vehicle keyautomatically grants the handheld wireless device access to the vehiclein response to: (i) the vehicle receiving from the handheld wirelessdevice an identifier of the handheld wireless device; (ii) the vehicleauthenticating the handheld wireless device based on a comparison of theidentifier received by the vehicle from the handheld wireless devicewith the identifier that was received by the central facility from thehandheld wireless device in step (b) and that was then sent from thecentral facility to the vehicle in step (e); (iii) the vehicleestablishing a secured short-range wireless communication (SRWC)connection with the handheld wireless device in response to thesuccessful authentication of the handheld wireless device; (iv) thehandheld wireless device thereafter sending the virtual vehicle key tothe vehicle using the secured SRWC connection; and (v) the vehiclecomparing the vehicle virtual key received from the central facility tothe virtual vehicle key received from the handheld wireless device viathe SRWC connection.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle isone of a plurality of vehicles included in a vehicle fleet.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless device furthercomprises a smart phone.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtualvehicle key further comprises a nonce and a token.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the virtual vehicle key uses advanced encryptionstandard (AES) encryption.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thehandheld wireless device is configured to: encrypt the virtual vehiclekey at the handheld wireless device; initiate a short-range wirelesscommunication session between the vehicle and the handheld wirelessdevice; and wirelessly transmit the encrypted virtual vehicle keybetween the vehicle and the handheld wireless device.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the handheld wireless device is configured to: initiatethe short-range wireless communication session via Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) protocol.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the handheld wirelessdevice is configured to authenticate the virtual vehicle key using apassive entry passive start (PEPS) module.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the virtual vehicle key is a master key providing access to morethan one vehicle that is also pre-stored at the vehicle.
 10. A method ofmanaging virtual vehicle keys, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving ata central facility a request to operate a vehicle included in a vehiclefleet along with a time window of operation; (b) identifying a vehiclein the vehicle fleet available during the time window of operation; (c)generating at the central facility a virtual vehicle key that permitsaccess to the identified vehicle during the time window of operationusing a handheld wireless device associated with the request; and (d)wirelessly transmitting the virtual vehicle key to the handheld wirelessdevice and to a telematics unit installed on the identified vehicle,wherein the identified vehicle is configured to send the virtual vehiclekey from the telematics unit to a passive entry passive start (PEPS)module included in the identified vehicle, wherein the identifiedvehicle is configured to: automatically detect the presence of thehandheld wireless device within a particular range of the vehicle usingthe PEPS module; in response to the automatic detection of the presenceof the handheld wireless device within the particular range of thevehicle, receive a wireless signal that includes the virtual vehicle keyfrom the handheld wireless device at the PEPS module; grant the handheldwireless device access to the identified vehicle in response toverifying at the PEPS module that the virtual vehicle key received fromthe handheld wireless device corresponds to the virtual vehicle keyreceived from the central facility; after granting the handheld wirelessdevice access to the identified vehicle, determine whether the handheldwireless device is located in the vehicle based on one or moreshort-range wireless communications (SRWC) carried out between the PEPSmodule and the handheld wireless device; and permit one or more vehicleoperations to be carried out using a body control module (BCM) based onwhether the handheld wireless device is located in the vehicle, whereinat least one of the one or more vehicle operations are permitted to becarried out by sending at least a nonce and a token from the PEPS moduleto the handheld wireless device in response to determining that thehandheld wireless device is located in the vehicle.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the handheld wireless device is configured to: encryptthe virtual vehicle key at the handheld wireless device; initiate ashort-range wireless communication session between the identifiedvehicle and the handheld wireless device; and wirelessly transmit theencrypted virtual vehicle key between the identified vehicle and thehandheld wireless device.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein thehandheld wireless device is configured to: initiating the short-rangewireless communication session via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol.13. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual vehicle key usesadvanced encryption standard (AES) encryption.
 14. A method of managingvirtual vehicle keys, comprising the steps of: (a) generating a virtualvehicle key at a central facility that permits access to a vehicle usinga handheld wireless device; (b) wirelessly transmitting the virtualvehicle key from the central facility to the vehicle; (c) associatingthe virtual vehicle key with the vehicle at the central facility; (d)receiving at the central facility a request to use the vehicle aftercarrying out steps (a)-(c); (e) receiving an identifier of a handheldwireless device at the central facility from the handheld wirelessdevice; (f) generating at the central facility a copy of the virtualvehicle key; (g) wirelessly transmitting the copy of the virtual vehiclekey to the handheld wireless device; and (h) transmitting the identifierof the handheld wireless device that was received in step (e) to thevehicle, wherein the virtual vehicle key automatically grants thehandheld wireless device access to the vehicle in response to: (i) thehandheld wireless device sending an identifier corresponding to thehandheld wireless device to the vehicle; (ii) the vehicle authenticatingthe handheld wireless device using the identifier received from thehandheld wireless device and the identifier received from the centralfacility; (iii) the handheld wireless device sending the virtual vehiclekey to the vehicle after the vehicle authenticating the handheldwireless device; and, subsequently, (iv) the vehicle automaticallygranting the handheld wireless device access to the vehicle uponverifying that the vehicle virtual key received from the centralfacility and the virtual vehicle key received from the handheld wirelessdevice correspond.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprisinggenerating a plurality of virtual vehicle keys and wirelesslytransmitting the plurality of virtual vehicle keys to the vehicle. 16.The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of storing theplurality of virtual vehicle keys at the vehicle and periodicallydeleting the plurality of virtual vehicle keys.
 17. A server forproviding virtual vehicle keys, comprising at least one processor andmemory storing programming that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, causes the server to: (a) receive a request to use avehicle; (b) receive an identifier of a handheld wireless device fromthe handheld wireless device; (c) determine whether the handheldwireless device is authorized to access the vehicle based on theidentifier; (d) generate a virtual vehicle key that permits the handheldwireless device to access the vehicle; (e) wirelessly transmit thevirtual vehicle key to the handheld wireless device and to a telematicsunit installed on the vehicle; and (f) wirelessly transmit theidentifier of the handheld wireless device to the vehicle, wherein thevehicle is configured to send the virtual vehicle key and the identifierof the handheld wireless device from the telematics unit to a passiveentry passive start (PEPS) module included in the identified vehicle,wherein the vehicle is configured to: automatically detect the presenceof the handheld wireless device within a particular range of the vehicleusing the PEPS module; in response to the automatic detection of thepresence of the handheld wireless device within a particular range ofthe vehicle, receive the identifier of the handheld wireless device fromthe handheld wireless device via short-range wireless communications(SRWC); authenticate the handheld wireless device by comparing theidentifier received from the handheld wireless device to the identifierreceived from the central facility; in response to authenticating thehandheld wireless device, receive a wireless signal that includes thevirtual vehicle key from the handheld wireless device at the PEPSmodule; and grant the handheld wireless device access to the vehicle inresponse to verifying at the PEPS module that the virtual vehicle keyreceived from the handheld wireless device corresponds to the virtualvehicle key received from the central facility.
 18. The server of claim17, wherein the virtual vehicle key further comprises a nonce and atoken.
 19. The server of claim 17, wherein the virtual vehicle key is amaster key providing access to more than one vehicle.
 20. The server ofclaim 17, wherein the processor is further programmed to identify anavailable subset of one or more vehicles from a fleet of vehicles andselect one of the subset for access.
 21. The server of claim 17, whereinthe processor is further programmed to receive a global positioningsystem (GPS) location of the vehicle and wirelessly transmit the GPSlocation along with the virtual vehicle key to the handheld wirelessdevice.
 22. The server of claim 17, wherein: step (a) further comprisesa request to operate a vehicle included in a vehicle fleet and receivinga time window of operation for which the vehicle is being requested;step (c) further comprises identifying a vehicle in the vehicle fleetavailable during the time window of operation; and step (d) furthercomprises generating a virtual vehicle key that permits the handheldwireless device to access the identified vehicle only during the timewindow of operation.
 23. The server of claim 22, further comprising,following step (e), the steps of detecting that the identified vehicleis being used by a user having the handheld wireless device past thetime window of operation and, in response to the detection, extendingthe time window of operation so that the user is able to continue usingthe handheld wireless device to access the vehicle for an additionalamount of time.